Chapter 86: Compensate Me for My Glasses

“Uncle Lu, that incident wasn’t your fault. But the scar on your body—that was left by my father. If there’s a debt of gratitude, it must be repaid; if there’s a grudge, it must be avenged. No matter how you look at it, what happened that year had nothing to do with you. You were simply a victim, so the account doesn’t fall on you. That’s why you must accept this money. It’s a burden my father carried, and it’s a responsibility our Wen family must bear!”

Beside him, grandmother echoed the sentiment, urging, “Master Lu, please just accept it. Otherwise, we won’t feel at ease. Your child is about to enter high school, isn’t he? There will be plenty of expenses. Don’t stand on ceremony with us!”

When school expenses came up, Old Lu’s resistance softened. With the persistent insistence of the grandfather and grandson, he finally accepted the fifty thousand yuan compensation. In fact, strictly speaking, the medical treatment and care would not have cost more than thirty thousand, even including nutrition and attendant fees. Qiu Zeyan’s injuries were more severe, but the court only awarded a little over twenty thousand. Yet, considering the debt of gratitude, fifty thousand wasn’t excessive.

A father’s debt, repaid by the son—the account was finally settled.

The murder case five years ago shook the entire Dongfeng Town. A common man’s rage spilled blood within five paces. Among the four victims, Lu Songyan, Lu Qi’s father, was the most innocent—at most, guilty of “banality of evil.” He didn’t pursue the matter afterward, voluntarily giving up civil compensation, repaying resentment with virtue. Therefore, Xiao Cheng felt compelled to redeem his father’s debt of gratitude.

Ding the Cripple had long mixed in the demolition office, and had committed no shortage of misdeeds. On the day of the incident, he was at the forefront, sticking out his leg and getting injured when Wen Xinwu retaliated—a consequence of his own actions. Still, seeing his destitute state later, Xiao Cheng couldn’t help but feel sympathy. Though Ding had his share of responsibility, losing a leg was a steep price. The twelve thousand yuan granted by the court was more than enough; Xiao Cheng owed him nothing further.

Qiu Zeyan also received civil compensation, but for that stab, neither Xiao Cheng nor his father felt any guilt. An eye for an eye: Qiu Hui bullied me, I fought back; Qiu Zeyan bullied me, he took the knife—now we’re even. The court awarded a little over twenty thousand, covering medical and nutrition costs, but Xiao Cheng had no intention of paying—because that case would ultimately be overturned.

Zhang Weihai was truly the chief culprit. The dead are gone, and he had paid for his arrogance and foolishness with his life. After his death, his business fell entirely under Zhang Weishan’s control—a wedding dress for another, so to speak. Zhang Peiyue had aided and abetted for years, but now, terrified and trembling, his family’s compensation was not within Xiao Cheng’s consideration. First, the Zhangs weren’t short on money; second—he had it coming.

...

The monthly exam results were out. After verifying the scores, Principal Niu personally delivered Xiao Cheng's transcript to the City Education Bureau. Director Chen looked at the grades and shook his head with a wry smile. “Zero in Physics?”

Fat Niu played along, sighing helplessly, “This kid handed in a blank sheet.”

In the Grade Eight teachers’ office, Teacher Yan was hopping mad and cursing. Wen Xiaocheng was such a little rascal! If you don’t want to answer, just skip the subject, why bother? He wrote his name and handed in a blank paper! Great, now the average score of Class Eight dropped by two points! There goes the bonus again!

Of course, Wen Xiaocheng was now the school’s treasure. The City Education Bureau Director himself came to announce the good news and had him write a self-critique. Even after causing such a stir, the principal didn’t dare punish him, and Teacher Yan, being a humble educator, dared not step out of line either. She called Xiao Cheng to the office, her face gentle and pleasant. “Xiao Cheng, why did you get such high marks in every other subject, but hand in a blank sheet for physics? Do you have any issues with the teacher?”

Xiao Cheng looked innocent. “Teacher Yan, I had no burden answering the other subjects. But when it came to physics, all I could think about was your earnest teachings. You know, my family has gone through upheaval. My parents aren’t around, so I lack discipline, which is why at fifteen I’m still just a worthless student. And when I remember how my fight with Zhang Peiyue broke your glasses, I feel uneasy, so I couldn’t focus on the exam…”

“You don’t need to worry about the glasses, I don’t need you to pay for them,” Teacher Yan assured him.

Xiao Cheng blinked adorably, “You haven’t had Zhang Peiyue pay for your glasses. I’m afraid you think I broke them, and would hold it against me. That’s been weighing on me. As for what you said about me being ‘rotten dog shit,’ I really didn’t take it to heart. Whether I stink or not isn’t for me to say. I just worry you’d wrongly accuse me…”

Teacher Yan adjusted her glasses and cursed inwardly. “This brat, negotiating terms while insulting me—saying I spout nonsense? And claiming Zhang Peiyue broke them, when I saw with my own eyes it was him who took them off my nose. Who else should I blame?”

Teacher Yan had heard of Xiao Cheng’s grievances with Qiu Hui, Zhang Peiyue, and the others, and knew he was using this tactic to make Zhang Peiyue suffer a bit. After all, glasses weren’t expensive, but it was about making Zhang Peiyue feel some discomfort.

The implication was clear: unless Zhang Peiyue feels a little pain, I’ll hand in a blank physics paper again at finals.

Alright, you win!

This song—wasn’t there a student who dedicated it to me on the campus request station?

So, in yet another art class—why was it always the physics teacher during art class? Never mind that—Teacher Yan, the physics teacher, suddenly said, “Zhang Peiyue, so breaking my glasses is just fine with you? Not planning to pay me back? Your family isn’t short of money, so hurry up and get me new lenses! I don’t even have a spare pair now!”

Not only was Zhang Peiyue utterly bewildered, the whole class was stunned. Only Wen Xiaocheng sat in the back, shoulders squared, snickering.

The distance from the center of power determines one’s status. In the palace, even a low-ranking eunuch favored by the emperor could wield unchecked influence. The same goes for school: students favored by teachers rarely get picked on, while those disliked are often bullied by the troublemakers. With this reversal, most classmates could guess the maneuvering behind the scenes—Zhang Peiyue was now out of favor with the teacher.

“It wasn’t me!” protested Zhang Peiyue, wronged and anxious.

“If it wasn’t you, then who was it?”

That question left Zhang Peiyue speechless; he didn’t even dare utter Wen Xiaocheng’s name now.

While he was stunned, a paper ball flew straight at his head. From behind, Wen Xiaocheng called out, “Who? The teacher’s asking you!”

Zhang Peiyue turned around, only to be hit by another paper ball, this time smack on his face. “The teacher’s talking to you. Why are you looking at me? If you damage something, you ought to compensate. Didn’t your father teach you that?”

Zhang Peiyue huffed and puffed in frustration, but Wen Xiaocheng showed no mercy. He said to Teacher Yan, “Teacher, he’s ignoring you when you ask him questions—that’s disrespectful. Just say the word, and I’ll help you discipline him!”

Teacher Yan broke out in a sweat—if you want to hit someone, just do it, don’t drag me into it!

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I don’t really know what else to say, so I’ll just ask for your votes…